Saudis Raise $12.5B To Plug Budget Deficit From Low Oil PricesSaudi Arabia said on Thursday that it had issued US$12.5 billion in three tranches of notes, the second issue under its Global Medium-Term Note program, as the desert Kingdom desperately tries to offset the budget deficit incurred by the lower-for-longer oil prices.

The Rise of the New McCarthyismSpecial Report: As the New McCarthyism takes hold in America, the neocon Washington Post makes Russia the villain in virtually every bad thing that happens, with U.S. dissidents treated as "fellow-travelers."

The MSM's Anti-Russia BiasThe U.S. mainstream media (MSM) presents itself as the arbiter of truth-telling and journalistic professionalism – the global gold standard – but its deep-seated biases, especially on Russia, belie that self-image.

The Slimy Business of Russia-gateThe "Field of Dreams" slogan for America's NGOs should be: "If you pay for it, we will come." And right now, tens of millions of dollars are flowing to non-governmental organizations if they will buttress the thesis of Russian "meddling" in the U.S. democratic process no matter how sloppy the "research" or how absurd the "findings."

These charts clearly illustrate that the U.S. consumer has steadily relied on increasing amounts of debt to maintain an artificial standard of living. Through the use of credit, personal and government, U.S. households have pulled forward future consumption.

The "logic" (and I use the term loosely) of Russia-gate gets more tortured with each new wave of nonsensical and bathetic accusations. BTW, how do these same people justify US meddling in the politics and elections of other countries, including Russia? -- RF

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##Pilot shortage plagues Air Force"We're 1,500 pilots short, and if we don't find a way to turn this around, our ability to defend the nation is compromised," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein.

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##More Holes in Russia-gate NarrativeNew tests support the skepticism of U.S. intelligence veterans that Russia "hacked" the DNC's computers, pointing instead to a download of emails by an insider. (William Binney, Ray McGovern)

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##The Killing of HistoryPBS' "The Vietnam War" may show some of the conflict's horrors but still soft-pedals the horrific war crimes that America inflicted on Vietnam, fitting with a corporate-dependent documentary project.

Russia was the target of Nato's own fake newsMilitary and media reports hyped the Zapad military exercise as a major threat. In fact, what took place was nothing as dramatic as the West's warnings would have led you to believe

The Crazy Imbalance of Russia-gateIf the U.S. government and mainstream media are really concerned about foreign influence in American politics, they might look at Israel and other nations with much more clout than Russia.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##The Steep Price of Disaster in MexicoRebuilding with no insurance and little government aid.
Increasingly, the world will find itself without the financial means to recover from natural disasters. -- RF